Moorhead investigates attempted ATM theft

Moorhead police said someone removed an ATM machine from Sunset Lanes but didn’t take the cash machine with them, leaving it on the property with no money missing.

Police responded at 1:51 a.m. Monday to a motion alarm at the bowling alley at 620 N. Highway 75.

Officers found a broken door and foot tracks leading into and out of the building, Sgt. Rob Matheson said. A K-9 unit tracked the suspect for about two blocks, at which point it was determined the suspect had fled the area in an unknown vehicle, he said.

Officers discovered the ATM on the property, and there were no signs it had been opened or that any cash was taken, he said.

Matheson said police speculated the thief may have been scared off by a vehicle or patrol car, realized the machine was too heavy for one person to lift or planned to stash the machine and return later with a vehicle to pick it up.

Police had no description of the suspect, but investigators were working to retrieve surveillance video, Matheson said.